Christian leaders in Northern Ireland have called for peace and reconciliation to resolve the crisis surrounding a parade in Portadown.
Members of the unionist Orange Order have been blocked from marching from Drumcree Church down the mainly-nationalist Garvaghy Road. A stand-off ensued after protesters, joined by Sinn Fein First Minister Michelle O’Neill, gathered on the road to prevent the parade.
The Drumcree parade was due to take place on Sunday for the first time in 30 years, having been given legal approval. In the 1990s, it led to some of the most severe disorder seen during The Troubles.
Tim Cairns, former Democratic Unionist Party special advisor, told Premier Christian News that “reconciliation has been the big difficulty that has never been addressed at the heart of Northern Ireland politics and society.”
“We’ve never got to a point where we recognise who our neighbour is, and recognise how we can serve our neighbours better. That is fundamentally what lies at the heart of what's going on at the moment. It’s very well that to have a right and to to establish a right; you don't always need to exercise the right that you have, and that’s a word of advice and caution to the Orange Order today. But equally to the nationalist republican community, how could you accommodate a culture that you don’t like, even just briefly, just for the greater good?”
“I don't know how we get there, other than some kind of intervention of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way. I'm not sure how we will get there because Northern Ireland is a fundamentally broken society”, Cairns added.
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, and Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, have reiterated their belief that “the greatest witness anyone can give to the Gospel in our world today, is in love of God and love of neighbour.”
A statement from the archbishops said: “As our community faces the crisis in Drumcree today, in which so many sincere views, painful histories and important issues are at stake, we cannot think of any time in the last thirty years when this simple message needs to be more urgently heard. How can we be good neighbours to each other? What can we do to patiently, constructively and positively build on all the sincere and generous efforts over recent years to foster mutual trust and understanding among our different traditions?
“Respect for the rule of law, and use of peaceful and democratic processes are vital to a stable and democratic society, even when they are difficult and challenging. As Christians, we are also called to ask ourselves what is generous, what is neighbourly, what builds up peace and the common good among us? As disciples of Jesus, our golden rule calls us to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile and ultimately, to ensure that love of God and neighbour is the core value that determines all our actions and decisions.
“As Church leaders, we are profoundly aware of our own failings and inadequacies. Imperfect as we may be, we feel deeply the concerns of the people of Drumcree and the wider community that we serve. We are willing to do all that we are asked to guide the feet of all, in the name, and after the example of Jesus, on the way of peace, and the building up of a better future for all. We call for the urgent creation of a constructive, inclusive and reconciling initiative to patiently find a way through this current crisis. Too much is at stake”, the archbishops concluded.